Pentax *ist-DPentax's first d-SLR is a winner, with good color, low noise, and excellent "hand feel," all in a compact body.<<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, SoftwareReview First Posted: 03/30/2004 |
Video Out
The *ist D comes with a video cable for connection to a television set or VCR, with options for PAL and NTSC timings through the settings menu. This allows images to be played back on the TV screen and recorded to video tape, with all the menu options available.
Power
The
*ist D uses four AA-type batteries (lithium, NiMH, or nickel) or two
CR-V3 battery packs for power, or the optional AC adapter. A set of
four, single-use alkaline batteries comes with the camera, but I highly
recommend picking up at least two sets of high-capacity rechargeable
batteries and a good charger. You can find test results of high-capacity
NiMH AA cells on my Battery
Shootout page, or see this
article for a review of my favorite charger. The Auto Power
Off feature is a good power saver, shutting the camera off after a short
period of inactivity which you can determine (you can turn this feature
off as well), but even when powered up, the quiescent power drain is
quite low. A battery level indicator in the status display panel reports
the approximate amount of charge left.
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(@6.5 volts on the external power terminal) |
(four 1600 mA cells) |
| Capture Mode |
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| Capture, Half-pressed shutter |
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| Capture, Continuous AF |
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| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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The *ist D is also compatible with a battery grip, available as a separate
accessory. The grip inserts into the battery compartment, and provides a
vertical handgrip with secondary Shutter and AE Lock buttons, as well as
Av and Tv dials. It also requires one CR2016 button battery to provide power
for the camera's clock / calendar (the camera will still function with this
battery drained or absent, but will require the clock to be set every time
it is powered on).
Overall, the *ist D has pretty good battery life. Some d-SLRs do a good bit
better, but the *ist D will run for nearly 12 hours in capture mode on a
set of 1600 mAh NiMH batteries. Even in playback mode, it will run for nearly
3.5 hours. Using the latest cells with true capacities over 2000 mAh, will
give run times of 15 and 4.4 hours respectively. I still recommend at least
two sets of rechargeable AA cells and a good charger, but this is very good
battery life indeed.
Included Software
The *ist D ships with the Pentax Photo Browser and Photo Laboratory software,
which provide basic manipulation and cataloging capabilities for images captured
by the camera, and which can interpret the camera's raw CCD format files.
In the Box
Included in the box are the following items:
- Pentax *ist D body with body cap and eyecup.
- Neck strap.
- Viewfinder cap.
- Video cable.
- USB cable.
- Two single-use CR-V3 batteries.
- User guides.
- Pentax software CD.
- Registration kit.
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